'It helps if you like the girl'

PAXTON - In 1941, bread was a nickel, mortgages roughly $20. You could expect to go to church on Sundays but not out shopping, and by year's end the country would enter World War II after the December attack on Pearl Harbor.

There were of course no MP3 players, televisions, DVD players and cell phones. Trains and trolley cars still ran on the city streets.

And George and Lillian Knipe were married.

The Knipes will celebrate 67 years as husband and wife this June. This Valentine's Day they remember fondly their first date at Finn Park in Rutland on June 10, 1939.

"Dances, we were always going to dances, and enjoying each other's company," Lillian said. "He's from Paxton and I'm from Shrewsbury and we met at a dance in Finn Park. It was a wonderful night."

George would say the secret to their successful marriage is that they never argue.

"She doesn't like arguments," he noted.

"In 67 years we've never argued, as he knows I don't like that," Lillian confirmed. "Nowadays, couples don't put up with anything. That's the trouble. You cannot just up and leave after the first disagreement. Commitment is the key."

George remembers going to school in what is now the Council on Aging kitchen in the White Building and being kept back by his teacher, Mrs. Butterfield, until he learned to read better. With Lillian, his fondest memory is an anniversary trip to Bermuda.

"We took a trip to Bermuda for our 30th wedding anniversary. It was just beautiful. We were in Hamilton, and all of a sudden everyone stopped and the Queen of England came down the street in a carriage. … It was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary," George said.

Lillian, who grew up in Shrewsbury, but has lived in Paxton since 1948, remembers their 60th wedding anniversary with fondness.

"Our son, Roger, was in charge of the party, and we had people come from all walks of our lives. There were over 70 people there. The party was held at the First Congregational Church where I sang in the choir for over 48 years. That's a long time you know," Lillian noted.

George and Lillian remember the days when you could go to the A & P and buy an entire week of groceries for $5.

"I was making $25 a week then," George recalled.

"We thought that was a lot of money then," Lillian added.

George also remembers knowing everyone in town.

"I've been in Paxton my whole life, and I used to be able to walk down the street and know everyone. Now it's not like that," he said.

That having been said, George and Lillian chose to move back to Paxton after a short stint in Worcester noting that they both grew up in the country and feel more at home there.

"We built our house in Paxton in 1948 and we've been here ever since," George said.

When asked what advice they would give to a young couple marrying today George and Lillian had this to say (often completing each other's sentences).

"Congeniality," Lillian said.

"And dances, lots of dances," George added.

"That and a willingness to not argue and not walk out the door the second you disagree," Lillian said.

"It also helps if you like the girl," George added with a chuckle.

Other seniors having lunch at the Council on Aging Monday were happy to add their own Valentine's memories.

Kay Sears, who has been married for 33 years, recalled a Valentine's Day where her husband, Dick, filled the car with balloons brought them home and floated them all over the bedroom ceiling.

"Dick is very thoughtful, and those balloons were so much fun," she said.

Nellie Hyland, who has been married for 76 years to 103-year-old John Hyland, the town's oldest resident, said Valentine's Day is a fairly new phenomenon.

"Back in those days, you didn't give each other Valentine's, you just made sure food was on the stove and folks were fed. It was a wood stove at that," Nellie said.

"Actually, now that I think about it, he did give me a Valentine's gift about 70 years ago," she added with a girlish giggle.

Whether it's 33, 67 or 76 years of wedded bliss, all three women agree that being able to make each other laugh is key to a happy marriage.